


Flowers for Gladiolus

by HardNoctLife



Series: Summer Gladnis Week 2019 - HardNoctLife [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Duty, Flowers, Friendship, Gladnis, Gladnis Week, Kissing, Longing, Longsuffering, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Romance, Summer Gladnis Week 2019, True Love, Waiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 09:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20225497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardNoctLife/pseuds/HardNoctLife
Summary: Summer Gladnis Week 2019, Day 3: "Hiking & Picking Wildflowers," Adjectives: "Active/Carefree"When Gladio gets up for a morning hike, Ignis decides to join him. He takes him to a surprising location, causing an old memory to resurface.





	Flowers for Gladiolus

Gladio rolls out of the tent a few minutes before his alarm goes off, taking a moment to inhale the fresh Cleigne air, the sun barely peeking through the trees. It is quiet at Telghey Haven, the remainder of his companions still fast asleep (or so he thinks). The Crownsguard stretches, clasping calloused hands overhead and arching slightly, releasing a satisfied groan as he feels his vertebrae go _pop-pop-pop_. When he hears a soft _swish_ behind him, he looks over his shoulder, smiling as Ignis emerges from beneath the tent flap.

“Good morning,” Prince Noctis’s advisor greets him, cheerful.

“Mornin’ Iggy.” Gladio’s reply is warmer than the early morning sunshine, and Ignis’s lips curve upwards in appreciation.

“Are you going on a run?”

“A hike, actually. You interested?” Typically, Gladio likes to exercise solo and rarely extends an invitation for someone to join him, but he has always made an exception for Ignis. There is something addicting about the man’s company—something _comfortable._ Whenever they are together Gladio feels no pressure to make conversation, and they are able to find pleasure in the simple closeness they share—in the silence, even. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and if Gladio had to bet, he’d say it has something to do with the camaraderie they share in their joint purpose: ensuring the Prince of Lucis doesn’t come apart at the seams, or die before his time.

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I would be delighted. Actually, I had planned to gather some ingredients for our dinner, so it seems our goals have aligned perfectly.”

“You sure the princess won’t be missing you when he wakes up?” Gladio teases as they start to set out, gentle footfalls crunching in the vibrant grass as they walk. Ignis’s smirk is carefree and playful.

Gladio drinks it in, and it makes his heart flutter.

“I’m certain His Highness won’t even notice my absence, and in the off chance he does, he will merely have to survive until I return.” Gladio snort-laughs at that, and Ignis mirrors his humor with a grin of his own. The two depart, light-hearted and eager to meet the morning, chatting easily as they begin their trek along the winding dirt road towards the Malmalam Thicket.

It’s a perfect summer day, with the heat rising as the sun ascends, but the experienced wanderers aren’t bothered in the slightest when they break a sweat. It’s simply a reminder of the blood pulsing through their veins, and the strength of their sinewy bodies, muscles pulling and pushing as they make a steady trek upwards.

The forest comes alive as time passes, and the two flit around the paths of daemons, slipping between trees and underbrush before returning to the same worn trail. They don’t speak for a while, but when they do, it’s effortless.

“What a perfect day,” Ignis hums.

“Yeah, it sure is.”

“Perhaps we should go for a dip later,” the advisor suggests.

“That would be nice.”

When there is a lull, they lean into it like an embrace.

It isn’t long before they are cresting the top of the incline, the Malmalam Thicket looming into view. Ignis pauses, chin tilting as he turns, searching for something. Gladio also looks around, but he only sees greenery, so he finally caves, too curious to stay quiet.

“What is it, Specs?”

“I was informed I would be able to find a particular ingredient nearby…” Ignis rests a finger on his chin in thought before nodding. Suddenly, the slender man is making long strides off the beaten path, and Gladio jogs to keep up.

He has nowhere to be, he decides, so the Shield lets Ignis take charge.

They continue their leisurely stroll until the vegetation forces them to squeeze through brambles and climb over boulders. Gladio is intrigued, but he doesn’t protest as they drop behind a crag, rolling to soften the fall. Ignis shoves branches away, holding them aside so they don’t smack Gladio in the face, and suddenly they are squinting into the sun as they step forward into an open expanse.

When Gladio’s vision finally adjust to the glare, his mouth opens wide in surprise. A field of multi-colored wildflowers stretches to the edge of a cliff, the ocean barely visible beyond. He breathes in the sickly-sweet scent of flora that carries to them on the breeze before turning to Ignis. The man is beaming, obviously pleased.

“This is what you were looking for?” Gladio asks in wonder. _It’s beautiful_, he thinks.

Ignis is already leaning down to cradle a white bloom in-between his fingers. “There are many flowers that are edible,” he explains. “And they are quite breath-taking,” the man adds.

Gladio is surprised to see Ignis pluck a blossom and hold it out to him, a soft lilac color with tints of royal purple at its edges. “A sword lily, your namesake. I had hoped we might find them here, and it seems my prayers were answered.”

The sun hits Ignis’s eyes just so, making the emerald orbs shimmer. For a moment, the world tilts unnaturally on its axis, throwing the King’s Shield off balance.

Gladio thinks he wants to forget fighting, if only for a moment, and live in the world of Ignis’s whimsy. He takes the flower carefully, afraid he might crush it if he grasps it too tight.

The fear is a familiar one.

“When Noct was young, I made him a crown of daisies from the Citadel’s garden,” Ignis chuckles, kneeling to begin forming his own bouquet. “I’ve always had a casual interest in botany. I never told you, but the mention of your name—even before we were acquainted—always made me smile.”

Gladio’s tense shoulders soften at his friend’s confession, and he finds himself twirling the stem of the lily in-between his fingers idly.

“It was my mother’s favorite. At least, that’s what dad used to tell me.” Ignis’s head jerks up with interest, and his eyes pan up to Gladio’s face. The Shield’s eyebrows are tugging down into a frown. “Of course, Iris went along with the theme, but my dad didn’t care much for flowers.”

The thought of Gladio’s father is painful, and he feels something pull tight in his chest. He is reminded of the fact that neither he nor Ignis were there when Insomnia fell, and the guilt rolls through him like a wave crashing on the seashore. Ignis recognizes the look.

He too, has his fair share of regrets.

“Do you recall your eighteenth birthday?” Ignis’s words are tentative, which is unlike him. The advisor is known for his confidence and surety as a tactician. He is the one they all turn to for advice, Gladio included, and his vulnerability makes the Shield freeze, hands clenching. He feels the flower rip against his skin.

He whispers, barely audible. “Of course.”

Although he will never admit it, he still has the pressed gladiolus tucked inside the cover of his favorite novel, hidden in the armiger for safekeeping.

Ignis moves, but the rest of the world stands still, even when the advisor’s hands find Gladio’s, gently uncurling the fingers that are now digging into the Shield’s palm. The crumbled flower falls free, lost on the ground at their feet.

Their heads are drawn together, eyes closing.

There is a brief moment of hesitation, but it is swept aside when Ignis cradles Gladio’s face in his hands, thumb running over the stubble of his beard. Soft and rough.

“When this is over, I swear,” Gladio vows, throat constricting.

The silence is bittersweet this time, both men losing themselves in a shared memory.

“I know.”

Gladio can feel Ignis smiling through the kiss, just long enough to taste him. When they pull away, the colors of the field seem muted, the mood subdued.

Ignis continues to collect wildflowers and other edible items he manages to find in the field. Gladio settles himself against a nearby tree to wait, contemplative, but no matter how many minutes pass, he can still feel the subtle sting of Ignis’s lips from where they met his.

The return trip back to Telghey Haven feels awkward and longer than before. Gladio’s feet drag, and he lets Ignis walk a few steps ahead, eyes focused on the space between his shoulder blades. He tries to memorize the swing of his arms and distinct sashay of his hips.

It has been a while since Gladio has felt anything so strongly. His mouth has gone dry by the time the campsite pulls into view.

He knows he cannot have what he is thirsty for.

They both force smiles when Prompto and Noctis wave from where they are reclined in their camping chairs, phones in hand and empty plates in their laps.

“You made breakfast?” Ignis inquires, impressed. He is looking at Prompto, and not Noctis. It’s the safer bet.

“Nothing fancy, just some toast with jam,” the sharpshooter admits. Ignis gives a little hum of disapproval and immediately sets his bundle of items aside to set to work fixing a proper meal.

“What’s with all the flowers?” Noctis asks. Then he points at Gladio, grinning. “You got one in your hair, big guy.” The Shield is taken aback, reaching up to feel through his dark locks.

Sure enough, a sword lily is woven between the strands. He can only assume Ignis snuck it there when they were…

His stomach clenches, but he plays it off.

“Huh.” Shrugging, Gladio tucks it away, trying to disguise the racing of his heart with his nonchalance.

“The flowers are for our meal this evening,” Ignis comments, picking up the slack in the conversation.

“_What_?” Noctis sounds dismayed, and more than a little disgusted. Prompto laughs loudly.

The conversation continues, and Ignis’s back is turned as Gladio makes his way for the tent. He pretends not to notice when the prince’s advisor glances over his shoulder to watch the Shield disappear inside it, zipping it shut.

Amidst the debate raging outside the thin walls, Gladio summons a worn tome from the armiger’s depths, running his hand across the faded cover before flipping it open. He finds the last page, gently pulling open the book’s jacket to where white petals are pressed against a thin piece of folded paper.

Exercising more care than someone his size should be able to, he removes both items, eyes lingering on the preserved blossom before pulling apart the note.

Gladio has read it so many times that he knows it by heart, and it falls flat without him having to crease it.

Ignis’s scrawling hand flows across the page.

_My dear Gladiolus,_

_To think you have been my closest friend for as long as I can remember, and yet here you are, entering adulthood, cock-sure and bold, always one step ahead of me. I expect nothing less of the future King’s Shield._

_Truth be told, I envy you. What I wouldn’t give to be able to make my own choices without an adult looming over my shoulder as if I were still a child. I am the prince’s advisor, after all, and yet I do not think I will be seen in quite the same way by the royal court as you always have been—son of Clarus Amicitia, the destined future leader of His Majesty’s military. _

_I wouldn’t trust the job to anyone else—just as I wouldn’t entrust anyone else with my heart. _

Gladio pauses just so he can re-read the line. He swallows hard.

_I think back on your graduation night fondly, and although we were both punch drunk, everything we said still holds true. I, Ignis Scientia, am hopelessly in love with you. _

_And yet—! ‘We have a job to do,’ as you said, and rightfully so. And while I wholeheartedly agree we cannot permit any distractions, I do sometimes wish you weren’t so damn noble. However, loyalty is a trait ingrained in the Amicitias, and this is how I know and trust you will wait for me, just as I will wait for you. No matter how long. _

_As agreed, I will not speak of our arrangement, but rather, I will hold this memory close to my heart, awaiting the day we both may step into the light hand-in-hand, free from the bonds of the duty that binds us._

_Until then, I hope you never doubt the strength of my affections for you, hidden as they may be. _

_Yours always,_

_Ignis_

_P.S. This gladiolus is for you, to serve as a reminder that it is not your strong exterior that I adore most, but the way you blossomed for me like a flower, wild and free, on that night when we laid our heart’s bare._

Gladio bows his head, dark spots appearing at the top of the paper. He wipes his eyes furiously before returning the two treasured mementos to their hiding place, then pauses, procuring the new flower from the pocket of his jacket.

He slides the lily beside the other before shutting the cover decisively, banishing the book back into Noctis’s magical vault.

Taking a deep breath, he rises, pulling down on the zipper of the tent flap to rejoin the group. Noctis is mid-sentence, still ranting.

“—there’s no way I’m gonna eat it! C’mon Gladio, back me up here.” Three sets of eyes suddenly fall on the Shield and he recallibrates on the fly, grinning.

“Don’t worry Iggy, you know I’ll taste test for ya.” Noctis groans at the betrayal, but Ignis is glowing.

“I know I can always rely on you, Gladio.”

Their eyes meet while Prompto busies himself with teasing the prince. Noctis and the blond bicker good-naturedly as Gladio nods, tone an even tenor.

“You can count on it.”

**Author's Note:**

> This author responds to all comments! Feel free to talk to me directly on Tumblr (hard-noct-life) and Twitter (@HardNoctLife)


End file.
